Hydraulic pumping units have been provided for pumping fluids from subterranean wells, such as oil wells. The pumping units have hydraulic power units and controls for the hydraulic power units. The hydraulic power units have an electric motor or a gas motor which powers a positive displacement pump to force hydraulic fluid into a hydraulic ram. The ram is stroked to an extended position to lift sucker rods within a well and provide a pump stroke. The ram lifts the weight of the sucker rods and the weight of the well fluids being lifted with the sucker rods. When the ram reaches the top of the pump stroke, the hydraulic fluid is released from within the ram at a controlled rate to lower the weight of the sucker rods into a downward position, ready for a subsequent pump stroke. The hydraulic fluid is released from the ram and returns to a fluid reservoir. Potential energy of the weight of the lifted sucker rods is released and not recovered when the hydraulic fluid is released from within the ram and returns directly to the fluid reservoir without being used to perform work.
Hydraulic assists are commonly used in hydraulic well pumping units to assist in supporting the weight of the sucker rods. Hydraulic accumulators are used in conjunction with one or more secondary hydraulic rams which are connected to primary hydraulic rams to provide an upward support force. The hydraulic accumulators are provided by containers having hydraulic fluids and nitrogen pre-charges ranging from one to several thousand pounds per square inch. Although the volumes of the containers are constant, the volume of the nitrogen charge region of the containers will vary depending upon the position of the ram piston rod during a stroke. At the top of an up-stroke of the ram, the nitrogen charge region of a connected accumulator will have the largest volume, with the nitrogen having expanded to push hydraulic fluid from within the accumulator and into the secondary rams. At the bottom of a down-stroke the nitrogen charge region will be at its smallest volume, compressed by hydraulic fluid being pushed from the secondary rams back into the accumulator. According to Boyle's Law, the pressure in the charge region is proportional to the inverse of the volume of the charge region, and thus the pressure will increase during the up-stroke and decrease during the up stroke. This results in variations in the amount of sucker rod weight supported by the secondary hydraulic rams during each stroke of the ram pumping unit.
Drive motors for hydraulic pumps are sized to provide sufficient power for operating at maximum loads. Thus, motors for powering hydraulic pumps for prior art accumulator assisted pumping units are sized for lifting the sucker rod loads when the minimum load lifting assist is provided by the accumulator and the secondary ram. Larger variations in accumulator pressure and volume between the top of the up-stroke and the bottom of the down-stroke have resulted larger motors being required to power the hydraulic pump connected to the primary ram than would be required if the volume and pressure of the nitrogen charge section were subject to smaller variations. Large motors will burn more fuel or use more electricity than smaller motors. Several prior art accumulator containers may be coupled together to increase the volume of the nitrogen charge region in attempts to reduce variations in pressure between top of the up-stroke and the bottom of the down-stroke. This has resulted in a large number of accumulator containers being present at well heads, also resulting in increasing the number of hydraulic connections which may be subject to failure.